Many people suffer from back pain. There are many possible causes of this pain. In some cases, the pain may be reduced or alleviated by a suitable brace or support. Back braces are certainly known.
One such prior art brace is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,348. This reference discloses an adjustable back brace with a rear portion, two side portions, and overlapable marginal end portions. Two pull tabs are adjustably mounted on each of the side portions, and are used to selectively tighten upper and lower cords at the rear of the brace. The pull tabs may be operated separately to adjust the cords independently of one another. Thus, it is possible for the upper portion of the brace to be tightened more than the lower portion, and this is further complicated when the wearer stands or sits.
Other details of prior art braces are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,666,838, 6,610,022, 6,213,968 and 6,964,644. The aggregate disclosures of each of the above-cited patents are hereby incorporated by reference.